Don’t forget local races

All the headlines in the daily newspapers and the lead stories on the national broadcasts seem to be about the Presidential election. Because of that, it’s easy to forget that the Presidential race is just one of many contests on the November 8 ballot.

And while there are no state-wide races for Governor or US Senator, please remember and take the time to vote for candidates in all of the other races as well.

You have two congressional races in this area - In the First District, (Le Sueur and part of Rice County) DFL incumbent Tim Walz is facing a challenge from Republican Jim Hagedorn. In the Second District (Scott and part of Rice County) Republican John Kline is stepping down. Jason Lewis is the new Republican candidate, and his opponent is Angie Craig.

The entire Minnesota Senate and Minnesota House is up for election this year, with contested races in this area. At the county level, there are races in both Scott and Rice counties for county commissioner, and there are contested races for the New Prague City Council and Mayor and city council in Elko New Market, as well as three contested races in Belle Plaine Township.

So if you’re suffering from election fatigue due to the Presidential race, put that race aside and take a few minutes to study the issues and candidates running for these seats. It’s important to make an informed decision.